Sercrets Break Us All
by lettersofmusic
Summary: We all have a secret that no one knows. Even Hermione Granger. But life starts to change when her enemy finds out, and there is ALWAYS more than meets the eye...
1. Eighth Year

**DISCLAIMER: ***I own NOTHING! All characters, song lyrics, and everything else belong to their respective owners! I just made the storyline!*****

CHAPTER ONE

Hermione shoved her trunk onto the storage shelf in the Head's compartment. It was her eighth year at Hogwarts (technically seventh, but Professor McGonagall said they would call it eighth for returning students), and she had been ecstatic to learn that she was chosen as Head Girl. She looked down at the badge pinned to her robes and smiled. She had just boarded the Hogwarts express and was pleased to learn that the heads had a compartment to themselves. Not that she didn't want to be around Harry and Ron: they were her best friends after all. But this year she decided that she wanted a little more time to herself, and being the Head girl gave her just that.

She settled down into her seat and pulled her feet up beside her. The Head Boy still hadn't shown up yet, and she couldn't deny that she was curious as to who had received the position. She glanced up above her to where her luggage was stowed. Actually, she was looking right on top of her luggage, where her guitar case rested.

Yes, Hermione Granger, mudblood extraordinaire, bookworm, and know-it-all owned a guitar. And she played it incredibly well, too. What nobody knew was that Hermione was actually half Hispanic. Her father was Puerto Rican, which was where she got her brown eyes and hair. Her mother was English, with soft blonde hair and hazel eyes. She made it a point not to tell anyone, as pretty much everyone else was full English or Scottish, or some other type of European, and she didn't feel like giving them another reason to taunt her for being different.

She sat silently for a few minutes, wondering when the head boy would show up. Just then the train began to move, and she figured that if he wasn't going to show up, she would enjoy the time with the compartment to herself.

Pulling down the guitar, she removed it from its case and sat on the floor with the guitar in her lap. Her arms and hands settled into the familiar position of playing, and, taking a deep breath, she began to strum as her soft voice floated through the air.

 _Amarte como te amo es complicado  
Pensar como te pienso es un pecado  
Mirar como te miro está prohibido  
Tocarte como quiero es un delito_

 _Ya no sé qué hacer  
Para que estés bien  
Si apagar el sol  
para encender tu amanecer  
Falar en portugués_

 _Aprender hablar francés  
O bajar a luna hasta tus pies_

 _Yo solo quiero darte un beso  
Y regalarte mis mañanas  
Cantar para calmar tus miedos  
Quiero que no te falte nada_

Just then the compartment door slammed open, and, startled, Hermione looked up to see none other than Draco Malfoy… with a Head Boy badge pinned on his robe.

* * *

Draco was NOT in a good mood. He had received the position of Head Boy for his final year, which had initially made him proud, but the moment he'd set foot on the Hogwarts express he'd gotten glares and rumors had begun to spread that he'd taken it from Weaselbee or some other Gryffindor brat. With a scowl stuck on his face, he'd been walking up and down the corridor of the train, growling at students to get in their compartments and stay there.

As the train started to move he'd finally given up and returned to his compartment. Just before he reached it, however, he heard the most beautiful, delicate voice coming from inside, accompanied by a gentle harmony of guitar. He stopped dead a few from the door.

 _Who IS that?_ He wondered, leaning closer to hear but far back enough that he wouldn't be seen. _Oh merlin, her voice… Wait, is that_ Spanish _? The Head Girl speaks Spanish?_

Confused but determined to find out who this girl was, he stepped forward and yanked the door open, letting it slam against the wall. The sight that greeted him, however, was the furthest thing from what he had expected.

"GRANGER?!" He huffed, glaring down at her and, more importantly, the Head Girl badge pinned to her robes. "You've GOT to be kidding me. Whoever decided on the Heads this year obviously did not take into account that I cannot be anywhere near a mudblood like you." He sneered down at her and leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Hermione, on the other hand, looked more shocked than angry. The mudblood taunt had lost its effectiveness long ago, but the knowledge that she would have to share a compartment, and very soon a _dorm_ with MALFOY made her eyes widen and her heart pound.

 _Merlin, I'll be dead by dinner…_ She thought as she took in his flippant arrogance and disdain for her. Sighing, she stood up and began to pack her guitar away, deciding that she would not give him the pleasure of a response. She slipped it back into the overhead storage and turned away from him, settling into a seat in the far corner by the window. Making up her mind to ignore him, she pulled a book out of her bag and began to calmly read.

Draco, on the other hand, was practically livid. _How DARE she ignore me?! The filthy little mudblood has no respect for her superiors, just because her side won. I'd teach her a lesson here and now if I knew I wouldn't be caught…_ He angrily stomped up to her and ripped the book from her hands, throwing it to the floor behind him.

"What gives you the right to ignore me, mudblood? Think you're better than me?" He leaned down until his breath billowed into her face, his eyes narrowed.

Hermione rolled her eyes and shrugged. "It doesn't take much to be better than you. Last I checked, you were still second in our class to—who was it?—oh that's right, _me._ " She smirked up at him as his feature distorted with fury. He quickly stepped back and sat across from her, his expression souring into a pout.

"Bet the only reason is that you bribed the teachers…" He muttered, looking away.

She simply ignored his comment and retrieved her book, settling back into her seat and shifting so that she was sitting with her legs stretched out on the bench. It was going to be a long year.

* * *

Halfway through the trip the candy trolley began its rounds, stopping by their compartment first.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" The trolley witch asked, peeking her head around the edge of the door.

Hermione stood and handed the woman a galleon. "Two chocolate frogs and a box of Bertie Bott's." Returning to her seat, she opened up the Bertie Bott's and began to silently munch as she read. After a moment she glanced up at Malfoy to see that he had dozed off. She took the opportunity to silently study him. He'd begun to gain back some of the muscle that he'd lost during the war, but his face was still slightly gaunt and his eyes were rimmed with dark circles. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.

She frowned. _I thought everyone would start to get better, now that the war is over… What's going on with Malfoy?_ Confused, she let her mind fall silent as she took in his appearance again. She didn't like just how unsettled and tired he looked. _He may be Malfoy, but he's still a person. He's just a kid, like the rest of us._

Making up her mind to be more kind to him, she turned back to her sweets. She picked up one of the chocolate frogs and reached across the compartment to set it beside him. She brushed his leg on accident as she started to pull her hand back, and in a flash of movement Draco's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, squeezing so tightly it hurt. His eyes burst open wide, turning to glare at her as he bared his teeth.

"Don't EVER touch me, mudblood." He whispered, glaring at her shocked face. He abruptly shoved her hand away. "Why are you even this close to me? Not getting enough action from Weaselbee and Scarhead?" He smirked and leaned back, putting his hands behind his head.

She grimaced in pain as his hand released her, quickly pulling her arm back and rubbing her wrist where it had turned red from his grip. She glared back at him.

"First of all, Harry and Ron are my friends, NOTHING MORE. And secondly, I would never touch _you_ for all the money in the world. You're too repulsive to even think of. I can't believe I even tried to be nice to you." She huffed and turned away, sitting sideways in her seat so she wouldn't have to look at him.

Draco frowned. "You, nice to me? When have you or your little band of Gryffindorks EVER been nice to someone outside your little clique? You're all a bunch of hypocrites, preaching love and acceptance when all you ever do is hate people who don't agree with you." He spat the words at her with such vehemence that she was taken aback for a moment. But her shocked quickly turned to anger at his insinuation.

She pointed beside him to where the chocolate frog she'd given him lay. "Maybe you should take a minute to look around and see the whole situation before you make stupid assumptions again." Turning back to her book, she cast a muffliato on her bench so she wouldn't have to listen to his tirades anymore.

Draco glared at her before turning to look at where she'd pointed, and then froze. She'd given him one of the chocolate frogs. He looked back at her just as she muttered a muffliato, blocking him out. Confusion bubbled up within him. _Why is Granger actually being_ nice _? I hate her, and here she is giving me sweets…_ Shaking his head, he turned sideways as well so he wouldn't have to look at her again.


	2. Discovered

**CHAPTER TWO**

They arrived at the castle and were promptly ushered to their dorm by Professor McGonagall. She told them the password, _compromissum_ , and left them to settle in while she got the first years ready for sorting.

Hermione sighed inwardly, knowing how hard the year was about to become. She resolved to just get the worst of it over and turned to Draco.

"Look, Malfoy, I know neither of us like each other and probably never will. So just stay out of my business and I'll stay out of yours." With that she rushed into her room and shut the door before Draco could say anything against it.

Draco looked at her door in shock. She had just asked, no, _ordered_ him around and then left without letting him say anything. His hands curled into fists and he glared at her door. _How dare she?_ He shuffled into his own room and slammed it with a loud _bang_ , the sound echoing through the dorm. Oh yes, it was going to be a VERY long year.

Hermione quickly unpacked and settled everything in her room. Everything was exactly how she wanted it, and there wouldn't be anyone else coming in and going through her things like Ginny and Lavender did back in Gryffindor tower. Satisfied, she picked up her guitar and walked towards the door. There were still a couple of hours before Sorting and the feast, and a few years back she had found a hidden room off the Astronomy tower that would be the perfect place to practice and relax by herself, and it had a fireplace connected to the floo network so she could talk to her parents.

She stuck her head out and peered around the dorm. Satisfied that Draco wasn't around, she hurried out the door and quickly began her trek to the Astronomy tower.

What she didn't notice was the ever so tiny crack in Draco's doorway. Or his eyes as he peered out at her, watching her leave with her guitar.

* * *

Draco smirked as he watched her leave. _Sneaking out to go play guitar, are we, Granger? Now where might you be going?_ He cast a disillusionment charm on himself and discreetly followed behind her. His suspicions grew as he found himself climbing the stairs of the Astronomy tower after her. Why would she be going up here? He abruptly stopped just as Hermione slowed, stopping beside a landing containing nothing but a solid wall. He watched, first confused and then amazed, as she glanced around, then quickly tapped a chipped brick three times. The stones melted away to reveal a wooden door with no handle. He listened as she quietly but clearly said "recludam" to the door. It swung open slowly, and she stepped inside and shut it behind her. The moment the door was closed, it disappeared, becoming the blank stone wall once more.

Draco was astonished. Granger had found a hidden room! He grinned at the realization of what he could do with this information. Stepping forward, he quickly repeated the process of opening the door, casting a silencing charm so she would not hear the door open or close.

With the door closed behind him, he turned to examine the room. It was gently lit by afternoon sunlight, but he was quickly distracted by the sound of guitar strings and a sweet angelic voice singing.

* * *

Hermione settled the guitar on lap once again, smiling at the familiar feeling. The afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows provided just enough warmth to make it feel like her father's hometown in Puerto Rico. She sat up, thinking of which song to play, and finally decided on one she sang fairly well and that was by Prince Royce, her favorite singer. She cleared her throat, then gently began to play as she sang.

 _Se que no fui en tu vida el hombre mas perfecto  
Con mil defectos pero el hombre de tus sueños  
Nunca valore todo el amor que me entregabas  
Toda la pasión que cuerpo a cuerpo me brindabas_

 _Y Te me vas, y Te me vas_  
 _Como hoja que el viento se lleva sin mirar atras_  
 _Y Te vas y Te me vas_  
 _Como gota de lluvia que al cielo no regresara_  
 _Y Te me vas y Te me vas_  
 _Como un ave que emprende su viaje sin rumbo y no sabe_  
 _Y Te vas y Te me vas_  
 _Como barco que sale a buscar nuevos mares_

She rocked side to side as she sang, feeling the music deep inside her. The song was about a love lost, about heaven, about remembering, and as she sang she felt all of those emotions flow through the words.

Hermione had closed her eyes as she sang, and as she opened them she was greeted with a sight so unwelcome that she wished she had kept them closed.

Draco Malfoy was here, in her secret room, and staring at her with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open.

And he had heard her singing. In Spanish.  
Oh, she was _so_ officially doomed.


	3. Remembering To Fight

**CHAPTER THREE**

Hermione glared venomously at Draco as he walked towards her, wanting nothing more than to wipe that stupid smirk off his face with a sound punch to the jaw. She quickly shoved her guitar in its case and stood to face him, ready to whip out her wand. Draco, unfortunately, was faster. A muttered _expelliarmus_ knocked her wand across the room, and she instinctively dropped into a fighting stance, her hands balled into fists in front of her, her feet staggered underneath her.

Draco stopped, frowning. "What on earth are you doing?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You're about to find out." Her fists came up slightly higher, shielding her face.

She tensed, preparing for his move. He sneered as he advanced again, his wand pointing at her throat, but was utterly unprepared for her to grab his wrist and flip him over her shoulder as she did. The next thing he knew, Draco was on his back, looking up at the ceiling, as Granger stood and daintily brushed herself off. She quickly grabbed her bag and wand and walked to the open wall where the door reappeared.

"Goddamn, open the door." She muttered, turning back to face Draco.

He had lifted his head to look at her, absolutely stunned. She grinned at him and stepped through the door, which promptly vanished when it closed. Sense kicked in and Draco was instantly on his feet, panic taking over. _SHIT, how am I supposed to get out?! Shit, shit, fucking SHIT._ He whipped his head back and forth, trying to find another door, and felt his heart pound as he realized there wasn't one. He ran to the wall where it had disappeared and ran his hands along the stone, trying to feel for any sort of groove or outline that would indicate the opening. The stone shimmered, and the door once again appeared as it had for Hermione, but like the one coming in, it had no doorknob or handle. He tried pushing on it, to no avail. He rammed his shoulder against it, but again, the door wouldn't budge. Frustrated, he sat down with his back to the wall, angrily raking his fingers through his hair.

 _How the hell did Granger get out? She must have muttered a password or something. Maybe the same one to get in!_ He quickly stood and faced the door again.

"Recludam." He said. But the door didn't move. "RECLUDAM." He cried, his tone growing more desperate.

" _RECLUDAM_ , I said _RECLUDAM_!" He screamed at the door, his fists pounding against the wood. He slumped against the door as it remained closed, trapping him inside. _Oh merlin, it's something else. I'm stuck GUESSING until when or_ if _that little mudblood decides to come back._

And so began the next few lonely hours of Draco Malfoys life. Stuck, in a small stone room, yelling at a door that wouldn't open.

* * *

Hermione grinned as she skipped down the steps of the Astronomy tower. _Ah, the sweetness of revenge!_ Malfoy would be stuck in the hidden room until she stopped by tomorrow, unless by some miracle he figured out the exit password. It wasn't hard, that was for sure, but it would never be the first thing to come to mind.

Her mind wandered back to the moment he had knocked away her wand. She'd dropped into a fighting stance almost instantly, though she hadn't fought in years.

 ** _flashback_**

"Mia, you've got to spread your feet apart further. Anyone could _patada en el culo_ with how you're standing now!"

Hermione huffed at her cousin Ramón as she adjusted her feet. She was only eight, but her fifteen-year-old cousin had decided to teach her to fight. And not the nice way. He'd said that the family business wasn't safe, and she needed to know how to protect herself.

"Better." Ramón grinned at her. Settling into the same stance, he pulled his fists up in front of his face. "Now throw a punch, like I showed you earlier!"

She frowned. "But Ramón, _no quiero pegarte_!" She dropped out of her stance, and was promptly flipped over on her back.

" _Ay, mi prima,_ you need to learn to protect yourself. You saw how fast I took you down? Others will do it faster, and harder. Don't you want to beat them?" He leaned over to look down at her, his dark brown hair shading his twinkling eyes.

She rolled over and stood, glaring at him. " _Si,_ but only to learn how to beat you!" She dropped back into her stance, facing him as he did the same.

" _Bueno,_ Mia! Okayyyy—go!"

 ** _flashback over_**

She smiled at the memory of her cousin. It was Ramón who had taught her that stance, as well as most everything else she knew. He'd been like an older brother, a friend and confidante to her through the years. Even when she started coming to Hogwarts, he sent letters regularly and reminded her to practice. She felt bad that she hadn't, but she wanted to fit in here. Being muggleborn was hard enough, but if people knew what _else_ she was, including her ability to fight, she'd be an outcast for sure.

She picked up her pace as she headed to her dorm. The feast was about to begin, and she wanted to be there for the sorting. Grinning, she remembered that Draco would be stuck in the hidden room the whole time. _What a nice feast it'll be. No annoying Malfoy to get on my nerves—and I can't wait to see what the teachers will say to a Head Boy that doesn't show up._ Smirking, she dropped her bags in her room and made her way to the Great Hall.

* * *

He was going to _kill_ the little mudblood when he got out of this room. He'd spent the last few hours pacing back and forth in the tiny room, occasionally throwing a spell at the door which refused to open. The feast must have ended over an hour ago, and curfew had begun some minutes earlier due to the lack of sunlight. _The little brat did this just to make sure I got into trouble._ He grimaced at the thought of the reprimand that awaited him. He'd _never_ gotten in trouble before, and then Granger had to go and lock him in a room on his first night as Head Boy!

"Fucking—GODDAMN OPEN THE DOOR!" He yelled, his voice echoing around the room

With a slight creak, it swung open.

 _You're kidding me… THAT was the password…_ He glared at the door but quickly stepped through it and onto the dark staircase. He quickly made his way up to the head dorms, finding them dark and empty when he arrived. He assumed that meant that Granger was sleeping. _We can't have that now, can we? She shouldn't get a good night's sleep after what she did today._ Grinning, he made his way up to her bedroom and flung the door open, letting it slam against the wall.

"Granger, how DARE YO—" He started, but was cut off as he saw her fling off her blankets and felt her fist connect with his stomach. He barely saw her draw her hand back before it connected with the underside of his jaw in a powerful uppercut, sending him sprawling back onto the floor of the hallway.

She smiled sweetly down at him. "Don't _ever_ open my door again." She said, her voice dangerously soft. With that, she slammed the door in his face.


End file.
